Your Review of Frozen

Monkee Girl

Monkee Girl

Well-Known Member
I definitely liked it a lot more than Princess and the Frog and Brave but not as much as I liked Tangled. The animation on the ice was fantastic and the songs were cute. I think the best song was "Do you want to build a Snowman." It was a classic 'movie the story along' song without seeming forced. And the emotions were great. I really felt for Elsa, especially when she was in her room after her parents died. It reminded me of Loki in Thor 2. You know the scene.

I think what drug it down for me though was the plot. It wasn't that it was horrible it just felt very cluttered. See...to me...and this is what makes classic Disney much more entertaining to me is the fact their plots are fairly simple. Now a days though, people are SOOOOO intelligent that they need to have a story have 50 different side plots and side characters. There is the sister stuff, the hiding the powers thing, the political intrigue, the meaning of true love, the princess thing, need for an epic song. What kind of story are they trying to tell? Don't get me wrong, again, I enjoyed it and I am not saying the older stories didn't have the same issues, but some worked for me and some didn't. Mermaid was able to have all these little plot threads going and it worked great. Princess and the Frog however was an utter mess (to me). Frozen kinda follows Frog for me.

I also hated the ending twist. I really think they could have done without that.

Overall, it was a very intimate story that they tried to force into a big epic adventure. I think something a little more grounded like Cinderella would have worked better here.

Tangled still reigning as my favorite of this new Disney renaissance. But Frozen wasn't horrible. I am kinda half and half on it.
 
AlwaysaDisney

AlwaysaDisney

Member
erinquack said:
I loved it!!!! I want to go see it again! I've been listening to "Do you want to build a snowma" on a loop, such a great touching song.
Click to expand...
I can't stop listening to "Do You Want To Build a Snowman" either. I tear up every time I listen to it...I know I'm a HUGE softie. It seems now that I've grown up, I cry to just about every Disney movie. What's wrong with me? lol
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
DisneyFan 2000 said:
Regarding Olaf, I feel like I should add that he functioned as something OTHER than a sidekick which is a first for a Disney film. When Elsa encounters him for the first time, she lets her guard down for a moment. There's a small instant in that scene where you really see the innocent Elsa emerge from all the frustration. The moment is really subtle but it's there. He's her connection to childhood, to Anna and also to the notion that her powers can also create something pure and good.
Click to expand...

Good observations. Thanks.

I also agree that the notion of sacrificing oneself for another as representing true love is a universal (not "Universal") archetype much older and more broadly understood than Harry Potter, @SirNim .

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:12-13.)

I think Jesus pre-dated Harry Potter.

It's a great, universal symbol of real love, that has been in many stories. And in this case, I do think it was a nice twist on the "true love's kiss" archetype; but it certainly is more of an act representing true love than the romantic notion of a kiss alone. Good move for the movie.

And brilliant, beautiful art and animation. There were some lanscapes near the end that were breathtaking to me. And I am glad that Disney is back!
 
Last edited:
Sped2424

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
Monkee Girl said:
I definitely liked it a lot more than Princess and the Frog and Brave but not as much as I liked Tangled. The animation on the ice was fantastic and the songs were cute. I think the best song was "Do you want to build a Snowman." It was a classic 'movie the story along' song without seeming forced. And the emotions were great. I really felt for Elsa, especially when she was in her room after her parents died. It reminded me of Loki in Thor 2. You know the scene.

I think what drug it down for me though was the plot. It wasn't that it was horrible it just felt very cluttered. See...to me...and this is what makes classic Disney much more entertaining to me is the fact their plots are fairly simple. Now a days though, people are SOOOOO intelligent that they need to have a story have 50 different side plots and side characters. There is the sister stuff, the hiding the powers thing, the political intrigue, the meaning of true love, the princess thing, need for an epic song. What kind of story are they trying to tell? Don't get me wrong, again, I enjoyed it and I am not saying the older stories didn't have the same issues, but some worked for me and some didn't. Mermaid was able to have all these little plot threads going and it worked great. Princess and the Frog however was an utter mess (to me). Frozen kinda follows Frog for me.

I also hated the ending twist. I really think they could have done without that.

Overall, it was a very intimate story that they tried to force into a big epic adventure. I think something a little more grounded like Cinderella would have worked better here.

Tangled still reigning as my favorite of this new Disney renaissance. But Frozen wasn't horrible. I am kinda half and half on it.
Click to expand...
Gonna have to disagree with you there, I feel this film surpasses tangled by miles, a film being intelligent isn't a fault but rather extremely welcomed. You can rewatch it more and always take something new from it, whether it be a moral or lesson. Also Tangled has multipule story lines within it as well Mother gothel and rapunzel, Rapunzel and flynn ryder, Rapunzel being the lost princess, Rapunzel wanting to see the lights. Frozen managed to blend all its plot points in quite wonderfully and resolved them at very opportune moment that pushed the message and theme of the story.
 
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
So I finally saw "Frozen". I saw it at the same multi-plex where I saw "Saving Mr. Banks". Which is a good thing because...well, at least I saw one good movie last weekend.


SPOILERS



To begin...the Mickey Mouse "Get A Horse" short was UH-mazing. Just brilliant in its execution. I've never seen anything quite like it, and if it doesn't get an Oscar for Best Short Animated Film, I shall be ed. Again, I must complain to TDO: if Disney can achieve such breathtaking 3D in its theatrical films, why can't it do the same for the short film Mickey's Philharmagic at WDW? That little gem deserves it. Frankly...and I hate to say this, but...I like it better than "Get A Horse". "Get A Horse" was superb, yes, but I think its pacing was much too fast; the audience was just barely able to absorb one bit of cinematic magic before it was hit with the next amazing trick. It's a marvel, but it left me oddly unsatisfied. But I commend Disney for doing it at all...and doing it so well, technically if nothing else.

O-kay, on to "Frozen"...hmmmm.....well, about halfway through it, I remember thinking, "Oh, I see. Now I get it. It's 'Wicked' with snow. You've got the bad girl and the good girl, but instead of their being friends, they're sisters. Gotcha". JEEZUS CHRIST, Disney, will you get off the 'Wicked' fixation? That was painfully obvious enough in "Oz The Great and Powerful". I couldn't believe Disney dumped all of the GOOD female characters that were in the original Hans Christian Anderson story and substituted Barbie-doll versions of Elphaba and Glinda. And they were very poor substitutions at that. Bland, forgettable, sure as HECK can't hold a candle to Gerda, or the Robber Girl, or the two female shamans, not to mention the Snow Queen herself...well, okay. I talked about this before seeing the film. I'm just sorry I turned out to be right. Anyway, after I figured out the film's formula, I tried to remember: It's "loosely" based on the "Snow Queen" story. (And "Wicked"). Fine. I'll just sit back and watch this and try to enjoy it for what it is.

Unfortunately, what it IS is...a crashing bore. Just as dull and "Dreamworks"-y as "Tangled". Complete with snot joke...although not even Dreamworks has gone THAT far. Ick. "Picks his nose...and eats it." THERE'S a grand addition to the Disney legacy! Right up there with "Let your conscience be your guide" and "Remember who you are." Yes, sir, Disney Animation has hit its stride all right. Can you tell I'm being sarcastic? Are you hating this review so far? Well, brace yourself, it gets worse.

The reindeer was Maximus mixed with a dash of Scooby Doo. Olaf...well, he wasn't as annoying as I feared he'd be. But he was completely superfluous to the story and not very funny. He wasn't even as good as Rhino the Hamster in "Bolt", although I'm being unfair to Rhino; he really was pretty good. Especially compared to Olaf...

But this pandering animated paeon to sisterhood doesn't really hit rock bottom until we get to the very end, when it looks like "true love's kiss" will come to the rescue...again. A word about Prince Hans: I found his duet with Anna to be very enjoyable. And later, in the film, he was actually pretty impressive. He wasn't just mooning over some princess and preparing to come to her rescue. He was holding the kingdom together while all the craziness was going on. I was actually warming up to him. "Good for you, Disney," I thought, "HERE'S a Disney prince who isn't just a prop. Who has a role to play. He's earned his place as hero. Oh, look, he's going to kiss her, and I...huh? He's - what? WHAAATTT?"

Yeppers, Disney wasn't satisfied with just doing the sisterhood bit to make up for all of those DREADFUL princess films of the past; NO, it had to make the Prince eeeevvviillll. I rolled my eyes so hard I'm surprised they stayed in my head. It was so pathetically contrived. It was like Disney was saying, "Hey, National Organization for Women! Hey, Gloria Steinem! Check this out, we get it, we're with it, we're hip (or is that 'hep"?) We're down with it, we dig, we're totally 21st century! No more handsome princes with castles and titles for the NEW Disney princess, no sir, she gets Booger Boy instead!" I couldn't believe it. No foreshadowing, no hints, no indication, so abruptly inserted into the ending, and boy what a statement THAT made! Yeah, I guess Disney's done its penance now for Snow White and Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Pity it came at the expense of a potentially good film based on a classic fairy tale, but oh well, at least Disney got two new GUILT-FREE, merchandisable princesses out of the deal. Whoopee.

Oh yeah, the songs sucked too, which surprised me, as they were written by the composers of "Avenue Q", which I quite like ("If you were queer...I'd be right here"), but alas, they carry the blight of so many modern film songs: too many lyrics that never quite get to the point, and bland musical imagery. At least "The Princess and the Frog" had one good song and one good scene - "Almost There" - but no similar moment enlivens "Frozen". It left me...yeah...cold. And once again, I can only wistfully ponder what might have been...

(But I'm glad it's doing well at the box office. And the part where Elsa built her castle was quite beautiful. But it wasn't worth the ticket money. At least "Get A Horse" almost made up for it. Sigh).
 
Last edited:
DisneyFan 2000

DisneyFan 2000

Well-Known Member
Magenta Panther said:
O-kay, on to "Frozen"...hmmmm.....well, about halfway through it, I remember thinking, "Oh, I see. Now I get it. It's 'Wicked' with snow. You've got the bad girl and the good girl, but instead of their being friends, they're sisters. Gotcha".
Click to expand...
I'm sorry, but what?? What bad girl / good girl? Where did you get any hint of that?
I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy it more but comparing it to even Dreamworks' best projects (besides maybe How to Train Your Dragon) is just showing bias.
 
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
DisneyFan 2000 said:
I'm sorry, but what?? What bad girl / good girl? Where did you get any hint of that?
I'm sorry you weren't able to enjoy it more but comparing it to even Dreamworks' best projects (besides maybe How to Train Your Dragon) is just showing bias.
Click to expand...

I got it from, um, watching the movie. Elsa was the supposed bad girl, with the scary powers. She could only be a good girl by not being herself, or so she believed. Kind of like Elphaba in "Wicked" - or rather VERY much like Elphaba in "Wicked". And frankly, I think you're showing bias towards Dreamworks. Yes, "Dragon" was amazing, but the Kung Fu Panda movies have been quite good as well. Gorgeous production design and appealing characters (even Tai Lung was awesome).

A few months ago, I watched the latest Tinkerbell direct-to-DVD movie "The Secret of the Wings". In it, Tink finds her counterpart in a snowy land - an ice fairy. The production values, I swear to God, are exactly the same as in "Frozen", minus the 3D. That's what disappointed me the most, I think - the lackluster look of "Frozen". Take the wings off the fairies, and you pretty much have doppelgangers of Elsa and Anna. The snow effects looked the same too. I really expected more in the animation and backgrounds for "Frozen" - big budget film, don't you now - but they just weren't anything special. I'm glad you enjoyed "Frozen", but I think it's grossly overrated, for the reasons I stated. JMHO.
 
Sped2424

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
Matt_Black said:
Yeah, given what he was saying before it came out, it seems he's more interested in justifying his predictions.
Click to expand...
That is panther for ya, some of his criticisms I can understand I am not saying the film is perfect (What film honestly is?) But I am saying that film is one of the best they have done in quite some time and is worthy of all the critical and commercial success its receiving. A lot of his other criticisms however really didn't have a leg to stand on but I knew that was coming no shock there! Easier to rant than admit maybe you were actually wrong.
 
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
Sped2424 said:
That is panther for ya, some of his criticisms I can understand I am not saying the film is perfect (What film honestly is?) But I am saying that film is one of the best they have done in quite some time and is worthy of all the critical and commercial success its receiving. A lot of his other criticisms however really didn't have a leg to stand on but I knew that was coming no shock there! Easier to rant than admit maybe you were actually wrong.
Click to expand...

I get the feeling you were counting on me seeing it and swooning over it or something. Sorry. I've seen too many good Disney films to give this one a pass. It was clearly created to serve an agenda more than to serve a good story. And not just a political agenda either. Ask yourself: why were Kay and Gerda, the two children in the story, discarded and replaced with two teenage girls? Think the Disney marketing department had anything to do with that? Could it be that teenage princess dolls are a lot easier to sell than dolls based on two little kids? Hmm?

I assure you, I didn't like Frozen. And I didn't like Tangled either. They were both Disney princess films that tried too hard not to be Disney princess films, lest they offend the sensibilities of movie critics and progressive crusaders. And the results were two milquetoast movies with dull characters, lackluster music and scattershot stories. I'd like WDA to grow a pair and tell a good solid story without cringing in advance or apologizing for its past. JMHO and Merry Christmas.

(off to see Saving Mr. Banks again).
 
Sped2424

Sped2424

Well-Known Member
Magenta Panther said:
I get the feeling you were counting on me seeing it and swooning over it or something. Sorry. I've seen too many good Disney films to give this one a pass. It was clearly created to serve an agenda more than to serve a good story. And not just a political agenda either. Ask yourself: why were Kay and Gerda, the two children in the story, discarded and replaced with two teenage girls? Think the Disney marketing department had anything to do with that? Could it be that teenage princess dolls are a lot easier to sell than dolls based on two little kids? Hmm?

I assure you, I didn't like Frozen. And I didn't like Tangled either. They were both Disney princess films that tried too hard not to be Disney princess films, lest they offend the sensibilities of movie critics and progressive crusaders. And the results were two milquetoast movies with dull characters, lackluster music and scattershot stories. I'd like WDA to grow a pair and tell a good solid story without cringing in advance or apologizing for its past. JMHO and Merry Christmas.

(off to see Saving Mr. Banks again).
Click to expand...
Hey man maybe you should....let it go.
 
RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
The plot points are your opinion and you are entitled to them so I'm not going to argue. But as for the snow and ice effects in Frozen were much better.

The The Secret of the Wings trailer shows many examples of their snow and ice which you can compare to the the Frozen scene above

 
Magenta Panther

Magenta Panther

Well-Known Member
RandomPrincess said:
The plot points are your opinion and you are entitled to them so I'm not going to argue. But as for the snow and ice effects in Frozen were much better.

The The Secret of the Wings trailer shows many examples of their snow and ice which you can compare to the the Frozen scene above

Click to expand...


White, sparkly CGI snow...nope, don't see much difference.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom